I Stop Breathing When You Smile
by starlight.moon.princess
Summary: Love comes in different shapes and sizes for different people. A collection of 10 drabbles for 10 couples. :: 1 - James/Lily; 2 - Dean/Seamus; 3 - Harry/Draco; 4 - Cho/George; 5 - Ted/Andromeda; 6 - Luna/Hermione; 7 - Percy/Oliver; 8 - Padma/Su Li; 9 - Jamesii/Teddy; 10 - Ron/Luna ::
1. Late Night Phone Calls

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: James/Lily**

**Word Count: 416**

**Prompt: phone call**

* * *

The phone was taunting Lily.

When James had told her that the spells witches used to test for a pregnancy were not a hundred percent accurate, she had immediately gotten herself an appointment with a Muggle obstetrician. Sure, both the Muggle pregnancy test and the pregnancy spell had said that she was pregnant, but she needed to be sure.

And here she was, lying in bed with James at her side, staring at the phone and willing it to ring. She needed to know if she was actually pregnant, and she needed to know _now_!

"Lils, stop stressing yourself out," James said, sounding tired and groggy. "It's midnight, and I'm pretty sure the doctor's asleep too. She'll call you tomorrow with the results. You're not doing yourself any good worrying like this, you need to sleep."

In all honesty, Lily was tired and needed to sleep. But still…what if Dr. Michaels was working late and decided to call her and she was asleep?

"I can't James," she said. "I can't miss the call."

James sighed, rolling to face Lily.

"Staring at the phone isn't going to speed thing up, you know," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Besides, the faster you fall asleep, the faster time will fly. Before you know, it'll be tomorrow and the ringing of the phone will be the reason you're getting up."

"James –"

"Shh," he whispered. "I'm not taking no for an answer. You need to sleep. If not for your health, then the baby's."

"James, I don't even if I'm –"

"_I_ know you're pregnant, Lils. If you want to wait for proof before you believe, that's fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to force you to take better care of yourself in the meantime."

Lily smiled in James' embrace. She still wasn't sure if she was indeed carrying a child, but for James' sake, she'd try and get her mind off of the phone.

Besides, he was right.

Not that she would ever admit that to him, of course. His ego was big enough; it didn't need to be fed anymore.

But if she _was_ pregnant, she needed to start taking better care of herself. She might as well start right now.

So she curled into James' arms and closed her eyes, attempting to sleep. Maybe if she didn't look at the phone, it would stop taunting her.

Anyways, she had magiced the phone to ring extra loudly. If Dr. Michaels did call, she would…surely…wake…u –

* * *

_For:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 297. I'm Ready_


	2. Painting A Lover

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Dean/Seamus**

**Word Count: 506**

**Prompt: painting**

* * *

Dean watched as the portrait took shape under his talented hands. He couldn't remember the last time he had used pencil and paints to draw and create, and now that he was at Ginny's Aunt Muriel's home, he finally had access to basic art materials again.

It had been nearly a year since he had last seen Seamus, and the only photograph Dean possessed of him had been lost somewhere in the Forest of Dean. He needed to look at the face of the boy he loved, even if it was only through a painting of his creation.

As his hands flew over the parchment in front of him, he turned his mind back to the day he had confessed his feeling to Seamus.

"_I know you're hiding somethin' from me Dean!" Seamus shouted, hints of brogue coming out as a result of his irritation._

"_Shay, please, leave it," Dean begged. Seamus couldn't find out that Dean was in love with him. There was no way Dean was going to lose his friendship._

"_Dean, I'm yer best friend. Why can't you tell me what's goin' on with you?" _

"_Shay, I'm begging you, leave it alone!" Dean said, anger starting to bubble inside of him. Why couldn't Seamus see that he didn't want to talk about this?_

"_Dean, if somethin's bothering you, I'm not goin' to leave it alone!"_

_That was it. Dean had had enough. If Seamus really wanted to know what was going on, Dean would show him._

_He walked up to Seamus, gathering up all his courage._

"_Dean, what –"_

_Before Seamus could finish his question, Dean reached up and pulled Seamus down to his height, capturing his mouth in a rough kiss. For a moment, Seamus struggled against him, but soon gave in, returning the kiss with just as much enthusiasm._

_The two were lost in the kiss for a while, tongues tangling with each other, Dean never wanted it to end, but soon enough, air became a requirement. Once they broke away, Dean looked at Seamus fearfully; afraid that this would be the only time he would experience such bliss._

_But Seamus smiled at him, a large, luminous smile. "Why din' you just say so?" he asked, gently stroking Dean's face. "We could have gotten rid of your worries a long time ago."_

_And then his lips were on Dean's once more, and Dean forgot to think._

Dean regretfully pulled himself out of his thoughts, looking down at his painting. While he had been occupied in memories of a better time, his hands had somehow managed to complete the drawing.

There, in all his glory was Seamus, as Dean saw him, with colour and life coming out of him. Golds, corals, reds – to Dean, Seamus emitted light and colour, the perfect muse for a painter.

There was a part of him that wondered if they would ever see each other alive again, but he pushed it out his mind.

Harry would defeat Voldemort, and Dean and Seamus would see each other again.

* * *

_For:_

_The Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 681. Enchanted Quill_

_Slash/Femmeslash Bootcamp, Prompt 11. Portrait_

_HP Potions Competition, Developing Potion_


	3. Hurricane

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Harry/Draco**

**Word Count: 474**

**Prompt: growing up**

* * *

If Harry was being honest with himself, he knew the only reason he'd agreed to accompany Hermione on her ski trip was so that he could get away from Draco.

Avoiding Draco while he was still in England was impossible. With him being an Auror, and Draco a Healer, they inevitable bumped into each other during his many trips to the Saint Mungo's emergency room.

It had been those constant meetings that had finally resulted in the two men putting their decade long animosity aside and actually getting to know each other. It hadn't taken long before the two of them were close friends, only the Weasleys and Hermione being closer to Harry than Draco, and that only because of the length of time they had been close to him.

At first, Harry had been unable to place the growing feeling he had for Draco, and had instead chalked it up to a strange mixture of friendship and difficulty in letting go of their history. But when he had seen Draco _flirting_ with Blaise Zabini – well, the reappearance of the green monster in his chest had told him all he needed to know about how he _really_ felt about Draco Malfoy.

He'd tried to avoid Draco. It wasn't the fact that he was in love with a man that spooked him, but the fact that that man was Draco Malfoy. Their friendship was still too new for Harry to accurately guess what Draco's reaction to that knowledge would be, and the last thing he wanted was to lose a friend.

But Draco Malfoy was like a hurricane, who drew everyone and everything around him into his orbit. It was impossible to avoid him. Harry would find himself wandering around the corridors of Saint Mungo's looking for Draco, even when he had promised himself that all he was going to do was check up on whoever was injured that time and return home.

So when Hermione had suggested this trip, Harry had jumped at the opportunity. Maybe some actual distance would allow him to think about how he wanted to handle his feelings.

But now that he found himself here, huddled under a blanket in a futile attempt to ward away the cold, he allowed himself to concede that perhaps his actions had been a little childish. He knew he was in love with Draco, and as much as he would have liked to avoid the other man until he knew if his feelings were returned, he knew that there was no way of actually finding out whether Draco felt the same way about him until Harry actually _talked_ to him.

It wasn't going to be the most pleasant thing Harry had ever done, but he knew that if he wanted an actual shot at a relationship with Draco, he would have to grow up.

* * *

_For:_

_The Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 740. Strange Feelings_

_OTP Bootcamp, Prompt 32. Ridiculous_


	4. Firewhiskey Shots And Late Mornings

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Cho/George**

**Word Count: 329**

**Prompt: late**

* * *

It takes her a moment to get her bearings in the morning. All she can register at first is the bright light hitting her face and the incessant throbbing in her head.

But a quick pain-relieving charm later, she notices she's in a strange bed, with what feels like a man by her side. And looking around the room, it's definitely not hers.

She doesn't dare to look at the figure next to her, dreading seeing who it is. The last thing she remembers is being at the Hog's Head, laughing with the old D.A. members while knocking back Firewhiskey shots. What of the person besides her is Harry, or worse, Michael? She really doesn't want to find out that she spent the last night with an ex.

So she quietly summons her scattered clothes and gets ready to leave. But as she leaves the bed, she catches a glimpse of flaming red hair.

Well, not an ex then.

Of course, she's curious enough to check which of the three - it should have been four - possible Weasleys it is.

(She hopes that it's George. She'd feel awful if she came in the way of Ron and Hermione, and Ginny may be a sweet girl, but Cho doesn't swing that way.

And she may or may not have been habouring a tiny crush on George Weasley since her Hogwarts days.)

When she realises it is George Weasley - well she's already late for work, so there's no way she can stay, but...

She quickly conjures up a piece of parchment and a quill.

_Dear George,_

_I don't know how much you remember of last night. I don't know exactly what happened, but somehow I woke up in your bed today morning. _

_Sorry I left; I needed to get to work._

_If you'd like to do the last night over again, minus the pub, the drinks and the waking up in a strange bed, of course, owl me._

_-Cho_

* * *

_For:_

_The Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 245. Early Morning_

_Pairing Diversity Bootcamp, Prompt 39. Scattered _


	5. Goodbye My Lover

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Ted/Andromeda**

**Word Count: 408**

**Prompt: battle**

* * *

They say that a person's life flashes before their eyes when they know they're going to die.

Yet here he is, spells flashing all around him, anti-apparition wards raised to prevent him and his companions from escaping, and the only thing he can think about is Andromeda.

Perhaps that's apt. She is his life after all.

He knows he isn't going to survive this battle. There is no way the Death Eaters will leave the Muggle-born husband of a pureblood Black alive. His death will be a warning to all purebloods who want to marry outside their blood-status.

An emerald green spell – Avada Kedavra, no doubt – nearly cuffs him, but he dodges. Maybe fighting is futile, especially when he knows that he is going to die, but he swore to himself during Voldemort's first reign that he would not go down easily.

And if he's going to die – well, there won't be any way for the Ministry to prosecute him for using a few Unforgiveables of his own. The more Death Eaters dead, the safer Andy will be. That's the only thing he's thinking about right now. Andy's safety.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Dean and the goblin being dragged away by their arms. He has no doubt that Dean will be used to try and draw Harry Potter out, but he finds he doesn't care as long as the boy survives.

He hears a thump behind him, and knows that Dirk Creswell is gone. He allows himself a moment of sorrow. For all that he was misguided, Creswell was a good man who didn't deserve to die.

But that moment costs him. When he turns to face his latest attacker, he finds himself starring as a Killing Curse makes its way towards him.

He has nowhere left to go. Death Eaters are surrounding him, and even if he dodges, it will only be delaying the inevitable.

He closes his eyes, and thinks of Andy. The way she looked when Dora was born. The smile on her face when Dora graduated from Hogwarts. The happy tears at Dora's marriage.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise," he whispers to the Andy in his mind. "I'm sorry I couldn't come back to you."

He never wanted to die before her and leave her alone, but he has no choice left.

"I'll wait for you, Andy. I love you."

When the spell finally hits him, he's smiling.

* * *

_For:_

_The Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 760. A Good Man Goes To War_


	6. Facing The World Together

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Luna/Hermione**

**Word Count: 333**

**Prompt: losing**

* * *

It hurts Luna to see the wide-eyed, disbelieving stares aimed at her and Hermione whenever they go out as a couple.

It seems no one can believe that Hermione and she have anything in common. The regular reaction to the two of the together is shock and bewilderment. _Everyone_ they meet seems to think one of them is too good for the other.

And worse than that are the ones who hate them for being in same-sex relationship. It is usually Muggleborns who have grown up in intolerant homes, and Luna knows that it isn't their fault that they can't see that the two of them are meant to be together, regardless of the fact that they're both women, but it still hurts.

She wonders why people just can't look past their preconceived notions and _see_. See how much the two of them were suffering after the war. See that the only reason they're alive is because they became each other's saviours. The two of them support each other, help the other to stand tall and proud.

Sometimes, she thinks it's all too hard. Sometimes she just wants to scream out loud at the injustice of it all. In her heart of hearts, she wonders if it's all worth it. The shocked looks and disbelieving stares seem to gather together in a large ball of hurt, and at those moments, she doubts their relationship.

But then one of their friends will tell them how perfect a fit they are for each other, and everything seems much lighter, much simpler.

Sure, being together brings them more difficulties than she can count, but it's all worth it as long as she has Hermione.

She won't let the world win. She will not lose Hermione. She knows that losing her girlfriend will kill her.

So the two of them, together, will face the world head on. They will take whatever the world throws at them, and come out the stronger for it.

There is no other alternative.

* * *

_For:_

_The Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 846, You're Not Gonna Believe What I Saw_

_Slash/Femmeslash Bootcamp, Prompt 32. Self Control_


	7. Hogsmeade Trips

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Percy/Oliver**

**Word Count: 278**

**Prompt: popsicle**

* * *

"Oliver, no, I have to study," Percy said as Oliver tried to get him to sneak out to Hogsmeade with him.

"Ah, come off it, Perce," Oliver laughed. "You're always studying! If you want, we'll go and grab a few of those Muggle candies you're so fond of – whatmacallit, popknuts? Popgalleons? No, popsicles. Yeah, we'll even go and grab a couple of popsicles from Honeydukes if you want."

Percy looked from his books to his boyfriend's earnest face. He hadn't had popsicles since the last Hogsmeade weekend two months ago. Maybe –

"_No_, Oliver. I need to study!"

Oliver scowled for a moment. This wasn't going the way he had hoped. He hadn't wanted to do this, but Percy left him no choice –

"Oliver, what are you doing? Oliver? Oliv-"

After a few moments, Percy broke away from the kiss, glaring at Oliver.

"What was that about?"

"You were talking too much," Oliver replied, flashing Percy his most charming grin.

"Oliver," Percy said warningly.

"Fine! Perce, you've been studying nonstop for the past week! You need to take a break sometime! Come on, we'll take a trip to Hogsmeade. It'll be a date. You can take some time off studying, and I won't even complain if you want to hit the books when we return."

"Oliver –"

"Percy, _please_?" Oliver pouted, giving Percy his best puppy dog eyes.

"You're not going to leave this alone, are you?" Percy asked, sounding amused despite himself.

"Nope! So, does that mean we're going?"

"Okay, _fine_."

"Yay!" Oliver cried out, before bouncing off to their dorm to get ready.

Percy watched him go with a fond smile. His boyfriend was _such_ a child.

* * *

_For:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 199. Goody_


	8. Keeping Secrets

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Su Li/Padma**

**Word Count: 380**

**Prompt: fields**

* * *

The two of you fall in love during the darkest year of your life.

You've been roommates since you started Hogwarts, best friends for just as long. But it's during that year which should have been your last year at Hogwarts that you truly notice each other.

(Turns out being forced to live in close confinement while on the run from Death Eaters will do that for you. You've lost count of the number of friendships you've seen turn romantic once they started to live in the Room of Requirement.)

You and Padma decide to keep your relationship a secret, however. The last thing you want is to be another distraction for the rest of the D.A.

(Besides, coming out to everyone won't feel right unless all your friends are there. And since Mandy didn't return this year, you'll wait until she's here too.)

Then the Final Battle rolls around, and you're terrified that Padma's going to be killed. She smiles at you and kisses you and tells you not to worry, but you promise yourself that you'll keep an eye out for her.

But being in the middle of a full-blown battle between Death Eaters and the combined force of the Order of the Phoenix and the D.A. is like being in the middle of chaos, and it doesn't take long before you lose the sight of Padma.

When the battle's over and Harry Potter's killed Voldemort, you find her again. Thankfully, she's alive and well, but you can't get the memory of those terrifying moments in which you didn't know where she was out of your mind.

There are things that the two of you have only told each other. You wonder what would have happened if one of you had died. You're the only one who knows that Padma wants her ashes to be spread across the fields of France that she visited in the summer before her third year, and she's the only one who know where that little scrap of paper of which you wrote your last wishes is hidden.

All of a sudden, it doesn't matter if everyone is here, or if it will distract someone else. You love Padma, and Padma loves you, and that's something that you're going to make sure everyone knows.

* * *

_For:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 300. Lost In The Jungle_

_Slash/Femmeslash Bootcamp, Prompt 43. Fortuitous_

_Weasley-Potter-Prewitt Challenge, Victoire Weasley_


	9. The Only One Who Sees

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Jamesii/Teddy**

**Word Count: 448**

**Prompt: eyes**

_Harry Potter's oldest son, named for James Potter and Sirius Black._

That's all that people think he is; a living reminder of the past. He's not James Sirius Potter; he's Harry James Potter, James Charlus Potter and Sirius Orion Black. No one can see him for the person he actually is.

He's not a prankster or a hero like people expect him to be. He's not a Quidditch prodigy or an expert in Defence Against the Dark Arts. He isn't interested in becoming an Auror or saving the world. He's just a normal guy who wants nothing more than to be a children's Healer.

But that's not what everyone wants to hear. They want him to be another legendary figure, the next in the line of Potters who goes down in the history books.

Is it really a surprise that once he's old enough to understand the weight of people's expectations on him, he recedes into himself, becoming extremely introverted and shy?

But it's different with Teddy.

Everyone else, they glance at him and his siblings, looking only at the similarities they have to their famous namesakes and family members. But Teddy's different. Teddy doesn't just look at James, he _sees_ him. To Teddy, James isn't just the scion of the most powerful family in the wizarding world, he's a _person_. A person with real feeling and hopes and dreams.

So it's not real difficult for James to fall in love with the one person who accepts him for who he is.

What _is_ surprising, however, is the fact that Teddy loves him back. James may not be anything special, but Teddy is. Teddy's one of the smartest people to leave Hogwarts in recent memory, extremely popular, a brilliant Beater and artist, snapped up as soon as he's out of school to work at the wizarding section of Christie's auction house. James is not the type of person men like Teddy fall in love with.

But Teddy insists that he loves James. He kisses him and takes him out on dates and tells him that if he had a family apart from James', he'd bring James to meet them.

And the thing is James believes him. Because every time Teddy looks at him, his eyes light up with a true smile. And every time he kisses James, it's so full of love and tenderness that it hurts.

James may not be anywhere close to the person Teddy deserves, but he's greedy enough to keep Teddy's love all for himself anyways.

Because at the end of the day, Teddy is the only person outside his family who loves James unconditionally, and James isn't selfless enough to give that up.

* * *

_For:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 906. Never To Be Seen_


	10. Wandering

**This collection has been entered in The Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.**

**Pairing: Ron/Luna**

**Word Count: 358**

**Prompt: home  
**

* * *

"_Life takes you unexpected places, love brings you home."_

Of all the things his mother ever told him, it's the one that has made the greatest impact.

Maybe it's because of the life he's lived, but there's nothing he wants more than to truly come home. He's been to the unexpected places – the Forest of Dean comes to mind immediately. Being an Auror has often meant that he's had to chase suspects through the worst parts of England in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. It's more than enough for him.

As a child, he loved Hermione with the intensity of a thousand suns. To him, she was the only one who mattered. Lavender, Fleur, Padma – they were beautiful, sure, but they weren't her.

He never thought he'd ever fall out of love with her, but the two of them are just too different for a relationship between them to work. The end of the war also signified the end of any common interest between them. They fell in love because of the close proximity it forced them into and they fell out of love once they didn't have that anymore.

He's fine with it. They ended it amicably, and they're better off as best friends anyway. It allows him to threaten all her new boyfriends without worrying she'll read something into it, anyways.

But he's been wandering for a long time, and all he wants is to find the person who'll bring him back home.

He dates a million different women, but he can never quite find the right one. He's ready to despair of ever finding her when she walks back into his life.

Luna's just returned from studying exotic creatures someplace in Africa when Ron bumps into her. She's just as unearthly as he remembers, just as lost in her own little world.

But that first sight of her – it sparks something deep within him. And when she smiles, it's like everything in his life suddenly makes complete sense.

So he asks her out, and to his eternal shock, she agrees.

And when he kisses her goodnight – well, his mother was right. He's finally home.

* * *

_For:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 372. Homeless_


End file.
